22 



ORGANIC EVOLUTION 



allowed to die. The male in this same species is an 

 active, flying moth, flight being necessary in order that he 

 may seek the female and fertilize the ova. 



Another example of a similar sort is found among the 

 bees. Here the males die in the process of fertilizing the 

 eggs. The males in the beehive take no active share in 

 the work of the community, except to fertilize the eggs, so 



that when this function 

 is performed their con- 

 tinued life would be of 

 no profit to the com- 

 munity, in fact would 

 be a positive disadvan- 

 tage, since they would 

 use food and space 

 which could better be 

 given to those indi- 

 viduals who were of 

 present value to the 

 community. 



Still another ex- 

 ample from the bees. 

 The beehive contains three sorts of individuals (Fig. 4) : 

 the males, or drones, whose only function, as just stated, 

 is to fertilize the eggs ; the perfect female, or queen, 

 which lays all the eggs, usually only one adult queen at a 

 time being present in a normal hive ; and the workers, 

 sterile females, who perform all the labor of the hive and 

 show the remarkable instincts so well known among the 

 bees. The workers generally keep on hand a number of 

 queen larvae, so that if anything should destroy the old 



FIG. 4. Honey-bees and a piece of honeycomb. 



a. Male bee, or drone. b. Worker-bee, a sterile 

 female, c. Queen bee, a fertile female. From Brehm's 

 Thierleben. 



